Eric Brady | The Roanoke Times

William Lyons holds a Confederate flag during a wreath-laying ceremony Saturday at the grave of Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson in Lexington during a Lee-Jackson Day service.

The Lee-Jackson Day parade followed a route from the Stonewall Jackson Cemetery through the historic town of Lexington to the campus of Virginia Military Institute.

LEXINGTON -- The two men died more than a hundred years ago.

Yet their characters, courage and convictions still resonate with people today, said those who gathered Saturday to observe the Lee-Jackson Day ceremonies in Lexington.

People dressed in period costumes, marched in a parade and held a memorial service to honor Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson, who were both residents of Lexington later in their lives.

Attendees of the day's events said there is still much to learn from the men and their legacies. They were men of faith, fortitude and family, said the Rev. John Weaver of Georgia, past chaplain-in-chief of the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

"They were men of integrity," said Weaver, who spoke at the memorial service. "We need to use Lee and Jackson as our examples."

Weaver said they were men of honor who also stuck by their words and displayed a commitment to their Christian faith.

Doris McCoy of Clifton Forge said she believes it's important to commemorate the generals because of the faith they displayed, as well as their military feats.

"They were both very honorable gentleman," said McCoy, waiting in a Civil War-era dress to take part in the parade through downtown Lexington.

Before the parade, people gathered Saturday morning for the wreath laying and military salute in the Stonewall Jackson Memorial Cemetery at Jackson's grave.

The ceremony included songs, a reciting of the Lord's Prayer and the playing of taps. Members of the crowd also placed wreaths at the foot of the statue of the general.

Chris Ezelle of Locust Grove was at the wreath ceremony, dressed as a Confederate colonel. He said two of his great-great-grandfathers fought in the Civil War.

"This is heartfelt," Ezelle said about commemorating Lee and Jackson. "They're actual legends to me."

Ezelle said he is impressed by the men's leadership abilities during the war and how they integrated themselves into the Lexington community.

Jackson was a church leader and professor at Virginia Military Institute. Lee arrived in Lexington after the war and accepted the post of president of Washington College, which was later renamed Washington and Lee University.

Saturday's activities also included a memorial service at Lee Chapel. The chapel was built under Lee's direction while he was president of Washington College. After he died, it was chosen as his final resting place.

The day's festivities were also filmed for a documentary that is contracting with public television and expected to air in late 2011, said Shukree Tilghman, the film's director and producer.

Tilghman said the documentary will focus on how American history is celebrated in the country.

Virginia used to observe the birthdays of Lee, Jackson and Martin Luther King Jr. together until 2000 when then-Gov. Jim Gilmore, supported by an alliance of black and white lawmakers, introduced legislation to split the holidays into two days.

The state now observes Lee-Jackson Day on the Friday before Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Still, does the proximity of the days honoring the Confederate generals and the slain civil rights leader make for an awkward pairing?

The Rev. Glenn Orr, president of the Montgomery County-Radford City-Floyd County branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said it's not a matter that members dwell on.

"We're really focused on honoring Dr. King rather than trying to tell somebody they can't honor Lee, Jackson," Orr said. "We just celebrate our opportunity to remember Dr. King and the values that he helped us to develop."

Historical information for this report came from the Web sites leejacksonday.webs.com and www.biography.com.